With the Floating Office Rotterdam (FOR), the Powerhouse Company has designed an office equipped with a green roof and powered by solar energy. A nice bonus for the occupants: the office floats on the water.
FOR will be located in Rotterdam's Rijnhaven and will be the new headquarters of the Global Center on Adaptation, which works with a wide range of stakeholders on solutions to the effects of climate change. The committee is headed by former UN president Ban Ki-moon, Bill Gates, and IMF managing director Kristalina Georgieva.
The floating building is prefabricated and consists mainly of timber. It has three storeys with overhanging roofs to provide shade for the generous glazing. In addition to the offices, the building will also house a restaurant with a large outdoor terrace and a swimming pool. The roof of FOR will be partially covered with greenery, with the remainder occupied by solar panels. Furthermore, the building will be fitted with a heat exchanger system so that the harbour water can be used for heating and cooling. A sustainable, floating office building presents a unique challenge. By utilising water from the Rijnhaven to cool the building and by using the office roof as a major source of energy, the building is truly self-sufficient. The timber structure can be easily dismantled and reused. This makes the building ready for the circular economy.
The floating, sustainable office building is expected to be officially opened by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and Rotterdam Mayor Aboutaleb in late 2020. It will remain in use for five to 10 years, after which, depending on requirements, another tenant may move into the property or the building may be relocated to another location.
